Self-buttoner for shoes.



y G. W. AYRES. SELF BUTTONER FOR SHOES.

AP1LIOATION FILED JUNE 25, 1912.

Summon Patented Feb. 24, `1914 nnrrEn srATEs rigENr oEEioE.

GEORGE W. AATLIYRSEIS, 0F ROLLA, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-FOURTH CPO-EDWARD A.

DEAN AND ONE-FOURTH TO G. A. SKYLES, BOTH OF EOLLA, MISSOURI.

SELE-BUTTONER FOR SHOES.

Loseere.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 24:, 1914.

Application filed .Tune 25. 1912. Serial No. 705, 896.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE W. AYRES, citizen of the United States, residing at Rolla, in the county of Phelps and State of Missouri, have inventedP certain new and useful Improvements in Self Buttoners for Shoes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in button devices for shoes, harnesses, belts and the like and the object of my invention is to provide a device for fastening the adjacent members together which will give much the same appearance as the buttons now in use and which can be fastened without the use of a button hook or other like instrument.

The device includes a body adapted to be secured to one of the members to be fastened and a lever pivoted by an enlarged end to the body, the enlarged end of the lever taking the place of the usual button, the free end of the lever being passed through a button-hole formed in the other member and being then swung to draw the head or button portion of the device through the button-hole.

A further object of'my invention is to so construct the head of the lever that when the lever has been inserted through the button-hole and swung past dead center, the strain tending to separate the members being fastened will automatically swing the lever to fully locked position.

With these and other objects in view, my invention will be more fully described, illus trated in the accompanying drawing, and then specifically pointed out in the claims which are attached t-o and form a part of this application.

ln the drawing: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a conventional form of button shoe, showing my improved fastener in lapplication; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of my improved device employed in connection with portions of harness; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the device; Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the same; Fig. 5 is a central transverse sectional view looking toward the head of the fastener; Fig. 6 is a plan view of the body forming blank, showing certain details in its construction.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description' and indicated in all the views of the drawing by the same reference characters.

The preferred embodiment of my inven tion includes a body member 10 preferably formed of sheet metal and a lever 11 pivoted by its enlarged end or head 12 to the body member. More specifically the body member is preferably stamped from a single piece of sheet metal which, as best shown in Fig. 6 of the drawing, is substantially rectangular in shape and is provided at one end with laterally projected arms 13 eX- tending from opposite sides of the body member and with tongues 14; extending in parallel relation with the arms 18. The opposite end of the body member is provided with a longitudinally directed tongue 15 and the body member is provided with a cleft 16 intermediate its length defining another tongue 17 extending in a direction opposite to that of the tongue l5.

In forming the body member from the blank above described, the arms 13 are bent downwardly along the dotted lines a and are then bent upwardly and inwardly along the dotted lines Z2 until those portions of the arms included between the lines a and b rest upon the body of the plate, while the terminals of the arms bear against each other as shown in Fig. 5, these arms being perforated for the pivotal mounting of the lever as will be hereinafter explained. The tongues 14E, 15 and 17 are bent downwardly for clenching engagement through the member to which the fastening device is attached, said tongues being passed through the leather or other material of which the member is made and bent toward each other as best shown in Figs. 3 and l. The lever includes a body member 11 terminating at one end in a substantially cylindrical head 12l having its upper end rounded and otherwise shaped to correspond with a button and having the advanced portion of its lower end slightly cut-away as shown at 18 to permit its free swinging upon the pivot pin 19 which is passed through the head of the lever and through the perforations of the arms 13, the head of the lever being bifurcated as shown at 2O for the reception of the arms 'ment of the device, the lever is swungv upwardly and forwardly and its free g end passed through the button-hole of theopposite member asA shown in dotted lilies inj'Fig.

Y2 until the outer` endy of the button-'hole bears in the seat 22 of the head of the fastener.` The lever is then swung in the re- Vverse position untilit has passed dead center when the strain tending to separate the members being fastened, acting upon the shoulder 22, will complete the swinging of the lever to closed position, this latter movement of the lever forcing the upper portion of its head through the button-hole of the Y opposite member As will'be clearly seen by referring to Fig. 2 of the drawing, all strain tending to separate the members so fastened is applied upon the head of the lever and between its pivotal point and the free end of the head vand therefore tends to maintain the lever in closed or locked position. The lever and its head are preferably formed from a single piece o-f metal and both the lever and the body member of the device may be nickeled or enameled to present a neat. and attractive appearance.

I do not wish in any way to limit myself to the specific for-m of body member and fastening therefor above described as any form of body member which will pivotally support the lever and any means of attaching said body member to one of the elements to be fastened may beV employed with equal facility. It will also be understood that the fastening device may be made in various sizes and proportions to adapt it for the various uses to which it is to be put.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that I have provided an extremely' simple and efficient form of button fastener and one whichmay be readily applied to shoes, harnesses or belts, and which when in closed position is automatically locked by the strain of the members which it fastens.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A device of the character described including a body member stamped from sheet metal and having pairs of oppositely disposed tongues formed at right angles to each other and adapted for engagement through the element to which the device is to be fastened, oppositely disposed arms formed integrally with said body member and bent over the body member and upwardly therefrom to pro-vide perforated ears, and a locking lever having an enlarged bifurcated head pivoted upon said ears.

Q. A device of the character described including a Y body member stamped froln a single piece of sheet metal having pairs of oppositely disposed tongues, the tongues of each pair being adapted for passage through the element to which the device is to be fastened and to be bent toward each other, one pair of said tongues being formed at one end of the body member and directed longitudinally thereof, the other pair of said tongues being formed adjacent the opposite end of the body member and directed transversely thereof, and integrally formed arms bent over the body member and upwardly therefrom to provide ears, and a locking lever having an enlarged head pivoted upon said ears.

3. A device of the character described including a body member stamped from sheet metal and having locking tongues adapted for engagement with the element to which the device is to be fastened and provided at one end with oppositely directed arms, said arms being bent inwardly over the body member and then upwardly in engagement against each other, the inwardly bent portions of the arms resting on the body member and the upwardly bent portions extending vertically from the body member and centrally thereof, and a locking lever having an enlarged bifurcated head seating over and pivoted upon said ears.

In testimony whereof I aliix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE WV. AYRES. [Ls] lVitnesses GEORGE A. SKYLE, HENRY CLEINo.

Copies of this patent inay be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Eatents.

. Washington, I). C." 

